The last three decades in Termina have been characterized by peace, although not necessarily prosperity. Monsters still roam the vast expanse of Termina field, and various small settlements outside of the four major regions struggle with the threat of wild beasts and bandits. Unlike Hyrule, Termina has no unified rule or standing army; five factions comprise most of the wealth and military might that the realm has to offer. The Deku Kingdom of the Southern Swamp, the Goron Tribe of the Snowhead Mountains, the Zora of the Western Ocean, the neutral and independent citizens of Clock Town, and the newly resurfaced Ikana Royal Family of Ikana Canyon. All those who are not allied with any of these groups have little standing between them and the very dangerous world of Termina. Nevertheless, these smaller settlements manage to persist despite a lack outside support. Regardless of the fragmented nature of Termina, there are no overt tensions between the existing factions, and most maintain friendly and open relationships; they just prefer to remain independent to maintain some degree of autonomy. Although the Oathkeepers succeeded in freeing the Giants and stopping Majora, they did not have the benefit of multiple chances to repeat the same 72 hours. As such, not all of the Skull Kid’s various curses and tricks were undone; many of his spiteful deeds have left lasting scars on Termina and still contribute to its decay.

The Southern Swamp is still steeped in pure, untainted water and abounds in lush plant life, but this prosperity does not extend to its inhabitants. The Princess of the Deku Royal Family never made it back to her people, and perished in her cell in Woodfall Temple before her father’s men could rescue her. The Deku King, in his rage and despair, blamed the only party he could; the forest monkeys. To this day a standing bounty of 200 rupees is offered to any scrub who can bring a monkey, alive or dead, before the court. The Deku Kingdom has become wary of outsiders, and although they maintain a peaceful and pleasant relationship with the rest of the swamp-dwellers and the other factions, no non-scrubs are allowed to set foot in the castle walls. The swamp as a whole remains relatively safe, and the tourist industry in the south has expanded considerably in the last thirty years, making it a popular vacation spot. A very quaint town built at the entrance to the swamp has sprung up, known to most as Marshfall. Mostly comprised of hotels, restaurants, and theaters, Marshfall is built almost entirely on a network of docks and floating houses, but offers little in the way of permanent housing. The Deku Kingdom provides soldiers to protect the waterfront settlement in exchange for hefty taxes, making it too expensive for most people to live in the vacation town anyway. The less populated areas of the swamp are rather quiet and safe, and some Deku who do not swear fealty to the Royal Family live in small settlements here and there throughout the swamp. Travelers are strongly advised to stay away from the Woods of Mystery. It is said that the Swamp Hag Kotake haunts those woods, looking for her missing twin sister Koume and turning lost travelers into monsters doomed to roam the labyrinthine forest forever. Others claim that such tales are simply to keep young scrubs from wandering too far from the castle, but few who enter the woods these days return alive. Woodfall Temple has been repurposed into the tomb of the Royal Family in honor of the Swamp Oathkeeper and the Deku Princess – the temple is arguably more tightly guarded than the castle itself, according to some, but few have reason to venture that way anymore these days so most consider such details to be of little importance.

The mountains have enjoyed thirty years of normal, mild weather since Darmani quelled the storm of Snowhead. The north is generally considered one of the quietest and most peaceful places to live in all of Termina, and the Gorons like to keep it that way. The current chieftain of the Gorons, Darunia, was only a bawling child when his father (the elder) and his greatest hero (Darmani) passed away, but he has since grown into a capable leader who is genuinely concerned with the well-being of his people and their home. Rumors say that Darunia has suffered from insomnia ever since his father died, and often goes days without sleeping a wink. Wary of another long winter, Darunia decided to have Snowhead Temple cleared of monsters and stocked with food and supplies. Snowhead would serve as the greatest stronghold the Gorons had to offer, but at present it is sealed shut until their hour of need. The humans that make their home in the mountains live in the Mountain Village, the first stop on any traveler’s journey to the north. The small smithing village has expanded in the past thirty years, mostly because of the great Gold Dust Boom that occurred twenty years ago. A blacksmith named Zubora and his business partner, Gabora, found great quantities of the valuable Gold Dust in one of the many mountain caverns near the village, causing scores of ambitious families to flock to the mountains to capitalize on this literal goldmine. Although the primary boom died out within a year, Zubora made himself a very rich man in the process, and expanded his measly one-hearth forge into an impressive smithing conglomerate that operates primarily within the mountain, where good steel can be mined alongside rare deposits of the coveted gold dust. This burgeoning franchise, called the Frozen Hearth Smithing Company, supplies much of Termina with refined steel as well as finely crafted weapons. Darunia, seeing a wise business opportunity, decided to partner with Zubora, supplying Goron warriors to protect the Mountain Village in exchange for his own supply of steel and access to Zubora’s shipping network to distribute some of the Goron’s main exports, such as bombs and powder kegs. Some tensions simmer beneath this arrangement, however, as Darunia considered the now almost depleted Gold Dust to be a sacred treasure of the Goron people, and also did not take kindly to Zubora’s miners destroying some of the natural beauty of the mountain. The two are currently (and for the most part, successfully) working together to ensure that future mining projects are conducted in a more environmentally conservative fashion. In honor of Darmani the Oathkeeper’s sacrifice, a fighting tournament, open to everyone who is willing to enter, takes place a week after the Carnival of Time each year. The cash prize is often hefty, but the victor also usually receives an ingot of a rare and precious metal for their efforts as well.

The Zoras of Great Bay have preferred a more private existence since the dissolution of their famous rock band, the Indigo-Go’s, and have focused more on developing Great Bay into a nicer place to live. With Mikau the Oathkeeper dead and Lulu’s voice lost forever, the Indigo-Go’s split up despite massive fan outcry. Although the remaining members had brief solo careers, a Zora band hasn’t performed at the carnival for about 28 years. Nonetheless, Great Bay has maintained its reputation as an excellent vacation spot and a bustling port; every day ships come and go, carrying valuable cargo from faraway lands. A port town by the name of Cape Floria has been established along the western coast of Great Bay, sporting a massive boardwalk, several fisheries, and an intricate web of docks run with a great deal of efficiency. The Frozen Hearth Smithing Company also maintains a branch here, specializing in business overseas. Mostly populated by Zoras and humans, Cape Floria is not without its dangers; with the large and daunting Pirate Fortress nearby, the town is subject to costly pirate raids from time to time, either at port or out at sea. A standing navy of Zoras and other fishermen has been established to protect the town and visiting ships, but as it is a volunteer force, it is not as effective as it could be. Closer to the fortress is a somewhat smaller coast town by the name of Pirate’s Landing. A “safe” haven for criminals all over Termina, lawmen seldom venture inside this Gerudo dock village, which is home to independent thieves or smaller gangs of pirates and smugglers. The construction of Pirate’s Landing was funded almost entirely by the master of the fortress, Aveil, who made a small fortune selling Lulu’s eggs on the black market after Mikau the Oathkeeper failed to recover them. Pirate’s Landing is an excellent place to go to escape the long arm of the law, but don’t expect to be safe there either; the landing is considered one of the few places where it’s almost mandatory to sleep with one eye open and a dagger under your pillow. Evan, the former bandleader of the Indigo-Go’s and current mayor of Cape Floria, has tried several times to negotiate peace with Aveil, but the pirates refuse to negotiate; after all, raiding merchant ships and robbing hapless tourists seems to be working out pretty well for them.

Clock Town has remained the bustling, cosmopolitan center of culture, commerce, and carnivals over the last three decades, and the standard of living has generally improved since the New Day. Aside from the four commercial districts known to most everyone, the seldom seen residential districts have seen some development too. The permanent citizens of Clock Town have grouped into three distinct neighborhoods based primarily on social class (all of which have horrible time-related puns for names). The wealthier families stick to the Dawn Heights, a well-kept and aesthetically pleasing gated community that borders West Clock Town (the merchant district). Aside from the lavish estates, the Heights are also home to Clock Town Preparatory, a private academy that only the wealthy elites of Clock Town can afford to attend. The majority of Clock Town lives in Noon Square, home to the middle class. Small houses, apartments, and inns line the cobblestone streets of this intricate plaza, which borders East Clock Town (the entertainment district). In the center of Noon Square lies the Oathkeeper Shrine, a small chapel that houses statues of each of the four Oathkeepers. On the Oathkeeper’s Dawn, all of Clock Town gathers here to honor their. The lowest of the low inhabit Dusk Row, which is more or less a decrepit series of back alley slums festering on the edge of South Clock Town. Crowded, dirty, and dangerous, Dusk Row is made up mostly of shacks and tents all competing for space. During the day it is mostly empty, as the beggars and thieves are out in the rest of Clock Town begging and thieving. At night, however, the Row becomes a very dangerous place to be (for their own safety, the Clock Soldiers elect not to patrol the Row after dark) due to the violent gangs that call the place home. In order to keep these slums safe, a group of vigilante teens known as the Bombers Secret Society of Justice keep watch over Dusk Row, offering protection to all those who need it.

The political situation of Clock Town has grown more delicate since the New Day, with two groups fighting for control of Clock Town’s political might. The Clock Society, established by former Clock Soldier Captain Viscen after he retired, is primarily concerned with keeping Clock Town safe, clean, and well-managed. They stand in clear opposition to any further development and expansion, and believe that more needs to be done to improve the city before one can think about building new districts. Their opponents, the Carnival Committee, led by Gorman, former manager of the Indigo-Go’s, represent the interests of the merchant class and the wealthier citizens of Clock Town. They seek to secure Clock Town’s outward expansion with trade agreements that will further the town’s economic might, and are also heavily in favor of increasing the budget of the Carnival of Time, believing this festival is Clock Town’s primary source of income and its largest tourist attraction. So far the elderly and long-standing Mayor Dotour has managed to keep the two groups at bay (mainly with stalling and indecision), but given the recent announcement of his retirement at the end of this term, both parties have been more adversarial than ever in their attempts to promote a replacement candidate. Most expected Dotour’s son, Kafei, to run for office once he stepped down, but he mysteriously went missing about thirty years ago.

The safest route through Termina Field is the Milk Road, a long stretch of highway leading directly from Romani Ranch to Clock Town’s south gate. The ranch, once a popular vacation spot and the biggest supplier of milk in all of Termina, has seen better days. Frequent bandit raids and attempts to block the entrance to the ranch have made it difficult for the two sisters, Romani and Cremia, to get their stock to their investors. After many missed shipments and poor service, most of the ranch’s contracts went to the newly established Gorman Brothers Ranch nearby; strangely, the brothers never seemed to have much of a problem with bandits or roadblocks along the Milk Road. Over the years the Gorman Brothers have slowly begun to buy up more and more of Romani Ranch’s land to expand their own ranch, which is known for its popular horse track (at which a great deal of gambling takes place under the table) and its rather poor treatment of dairy cows. Despite their attempts to do so, the brothers have never managed to produce the magical Chateau Romani milk their former competitors were known for. Although Romani Ranch is now just a fraction of its former size, it still scrapes by as the only exporter of this rare and coveted magic milk. Due to mysterious and unfortunate circumstances, however, the few cows that the sisters have keep disappearing around the same time every year, leaving them with only a handful of Chateau cows left. Cremia, the elder of the two sisters, still manages the ranch despite her advanced age, as her younger sister is considered by many to be somewhat… mentally unhinged, after a certain incident thirty years ago (and subsequent reoccurrences of that incident in the following years). As a final act of greed by the covetous Gormans, several guard posts along the Milk Road have been set up to collect hefty tolls from passerby, allegedly in the interest of keeping travelers “safe” on what was already considered one of the safest roads in the land. A second branch was added to the Milk Road once Marshfall rose to prominence, leading directly into the swamp town, yet it is still plagued with those pesky Gorman tolls.

The most mysterious of the four corners is undoubtedly Ikana Canyon, to the east. When Dampe the Oathkeeper vanquished Twinmold atop the Stone Tower, the legions of undead that seemed to be the valley’s only inhabitants vanished along with the curse that held them there. For a time, the once great kingdom to the east lay empty and silent, out of sight and out of mind for most of Termina. Much to everyone’s surprise, however, exactly one year after the dawn of the New Day, fifty (living!) Ikana Knights rode to Clock Town to bring the news of the revival of the most powerful kingdom in Ikana. Most were skeptical at first; after all, Ikana’s powerful army fell into ruin hundreds of years ago. Yet, here stood fifty living, breathing swordsmen of Ikana, heralding the return of Igos Du Ikana and bringing the news that King Igos was recruiting soldiers for the first time in centuries (humans only, of course). Remembering tales of the glorious and renowned Ikana Knights, many warriors (both retired and upcoming) uprooted their families and moved to Ikana Canyon to pledge their swords to King Igos. News spread of the growing Ikana army and the rapid development of the once desolate Ikana Village into a bustling city more fitting for such an illustrious kingdom. Knights once again stood guard on the walls of Ikana Castle and the steps of the Stone Tower, and the kind and generous King Igos sent his armies out into the field to slay monsters and protect travelers. The Terminians extended their gratitude to the gallant King, and for a while, it seemed Termina was truly on the path to becoming a better place. Without warning, however, the Kingdom of Ikana suddenly recalled its patrols and closed its borders, constructing a large stone wall to keep the rest of Termina out. All attempts to contact King Igos failed, and all those who attempted to sneak in were either slain approaching the gates or captured and never heard from again. This impenetrable gate has become known as the Wall of Bones, named for the many arrow-riddled skeletons that litter its surroundings. Ikana, however, appeared very much alive and well beyond the gate, and still growing. More soldiers seemed to man the wall every day, and far in the distance, the Stone Tower seemed to be getting taller and taller each day, eventually disappearing into the clouds.

The 30th Carnival of Time since the New Day is in three days, and the Carnival Committee has spared no expense in preparing for the occasion. For weeks, merchants, tourists, and performers from all over Termina began arriving in droves, and Clock Town is busier than ever before, so much so that the festivities have poured out into the field to alleviate the crowding. A small city of tents surrounds the walls of Clock Town, growing larger by the day as caravans arrive to set up for the carnival. In the midst of the chaos, news from the east shocks everyone. After 25 years of silence, the public finally hears word from the Kingdom of Ikana; the prince of Ikana, Davos Du Ikana, will travel to Clock Town on the eve of the Carnival of Time to discuss a trade agreement with Mayor Dotour that will finally reopen Ikana’s borders to the rest of Termina. News of the end of Ikana’s solitude spreads to all corners of Termina within hours, drumming up even more hype for the upcoming carnival.
Not all news of the carnival is good, however. Over the last few weeks, a series of murders have been reported both inside and outside the town gates. All of them seem to be the work of the same killer, who prefers to end lives in a manner as gruesome as it is mysterious. All of the victims have been found missing their faces and petrified stiff, although with no knife work involved at all. The corpses are free of cuts or wounds, appearing like faceless mannequins with nothing but a smooth emptiness where their face once was. The Carnival Committee has done their best to keep these killings a secret from the public, but whispers of this murderer have been to circulate around the town, although most think they’re just rumors due to the Committee’s gag order. Perhaps this may have something to do with the sudden reappearance of a certain smiling man making his way around the massive city of tents in the dead of night, carrying a hefty backpack of unknown contents, but most have forgotten his face by now…